The door felt heavier than it should've.
Like stepping through it meant stepping back into everything I tried to leave behind in New York.
I pushed it open anyway.
The classroom went silent.
Of course it did.
I didn't look at anyone. I couldn't — not yet.
Because I already knew what I'd see.
The same people who laughed with me.
Sat with me.
Knew me.
I walked in like muscle memory was supposed to guide me—
and it did.
Straight toward the middle row.
My seat.
Our seat.
Between him… and Yuri.
For a second, I actually saw it the way it used to be.
Kiefer leaning back in his chair, saying something under his breath just to annoy me.
Yuri rolling his eyes but smiling anyway.
Me— stuck in the middle, pretending I was irritated when I wasn't.
That spot wasn't just a seat.
It was… everything that felt normal.
Real.
My steps slowed.
Just for a second.
Because my mind betrayed me again—
"I never loved you."
"It was all part of the plan."
The memory hit harder standing right there.
Between where I used to belong.
My chest tightened.
No.
Not here.
Not again.
I stopped.
Looked at the seat one last time—
then let out a quiet breath and turned away.
I wasn't sitting there.
Not anymore.
Instead, I walked past it.
Past them.
Past everything that used to mean something.
And chose the empty bench at the very front corner.
Alone.
No memories attached.
Wall on right side and an empty chair on left.
Suddenly, someone spoke, it was Felix
"Jay jay....wait," he said, approaching nervously. "We need to talk."
I didn't even look at them. "Do we?" I replied coldly
Another voice joined in, it was Ci n "What happened… it wasn't like that."
That got my attention.
Slowly, I looked up.
"What wasn't like that?" I asked calmly.
"The plan," Ci n said quickly. "Yeah, it started like that. We won't lie. But after that… everything else—"
"It was real," Calix finished.
"Every moment," he continued. "Every friendship, every bond… it wasn't fake, Jay jay."
I stared at them.
For a second, my expression didn't change.
Then I let out a quiet breath… almost like a laugh.
"That's interesting," I said.
They looked hopeful.
"Because from my side," I continued, tilting my head slightly, "it all felt real too."
The hope flickered.
"But here's the difference," I added, my voice sharpening just enough, "I didn't have a starting point called 'lets use her'
No one spoke.
"See, you're asking me to believe that something real can grow from something fake," I went on. "And maybe it can."
I leaned back, crossing her arms.
"But that doesn't erase how it began." I said bitterly
Ci n stepped forward. "We didn't mean for it to go that far—"
"And yet it did," I cut in smoothly. "Funny how consequences work."
Silence dropped again.
My gaze moved across the room, steady, unshaken.
"You all got to choose when it became real," I said quietly. "I didn't even know I was part of something fake."
That hit harder than anything else.
No sarcasm. No anger.
Just truth.
And then—
A slow clap.
The sound echoed, deliberate, almost mocking.
I didn't need to turn.
Keifer
"Wow," he said, leaning against the wall like he was watching a show. "That was good. Dramatic. Emotional. Very you."
The tension snapped back instantly
I stood up.
Slow. Controlled.
"Still talking?" I said without looking at him. "I thought your role ended after the big reveal."
Kiefer smirked. "What, you miss me already?"
I let out a small laugh, finally turning.
"Miss you?" I repeated, eyes scanning him like he was nothing new. "I don't even acknowledge mistakes, Kiefer. Why would I miss one?
A few people inhaled sharply.
Kiefer stepped closer, unfazed — if anything, amused.
"Harsh," he said. "You didn't talk like that when you were looking at me like I was your whole world."
There it was.
A flicker.
I felt it — sharp, sudden — like a crack under glass.
But my face didn't change.
"Relax," I said smoothly. "I had poor taste back then. I've upgraded."
A few students tried to hide their reactions.
Kiefer's eyes narrowed slightly… then he smiled again, softer this time.
"Upgraded?" he repeated, glancing at me like he was studying me all over again. "From what I remember, you were pretty obsessed."
JJ stepped closer.
"Confidence looks good on you," I said, voice calm, almost sweet.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Delusion doesn't."
That landed.
But instead of backing off, Kiefer leaned in just a little more, lowering his voice.
"You're different," he said quietly. "Heartbreak changed you… or was it me?"
For a split second—
her chest tightened.
Because a part of I wanted to react.
Wanted to ask why he was saying things like that now.
Wanted to believe there was something real behind it.
But I killed that part instantly.
"What changed me," I replied coolly, "was realizing I was arguing with someone who confuses manipulation with personality."
A few gasps.
Kiefer chuckled under his breath.
"Still fire," he said. "You know, you're even better like this."
I tilted my head. "Yeah?"
His gaze didn't leave mine.
"Yeah," he said. "Colder suits you. Makes it more fun."
There it was again.
That tone.
That almost-flirting, almost-taunting edge.
And it hurt.
God, it hurt.
Because he was acting like this was a game.
Like I hadn't meant anything.
Like he still didn't.
I smiled.
Slow. Controlled. Perfect.
"Good," I said. "Then you'll enjoy this version of me."
I stepped even closer now — close enough that the room held its breath.
"But don't get confused," I added softly.
My voice dropped just enough for it to feel personal.
"This isn't me playing hard to get."
A pause
"It's me being impossible to reach."
Kiefer's expression flickered — just barely
I pulled back.
Composed again.
Untouchable again.
"And for the record," I added, grabbing my bag, "if you're still trying to flirt your way out of accountability… it's not working."
I gave him one last look.
Cool. Final.
"I'm not one of your plans anymore."
That one—
that one hit.
Kiefer didn't respond.
Didn't joke.
Didn't flirt
For once… nothing.
I turned and walked toward the door, every step steady.
No one stopped me.
No one spoke.
And as I left—
My face stayed perfect.
But the second I was out of the room…
My grip tightened on my bag.
Just for a moment.
Because no one saw that part.
Not the crack.
Not the pain.
I let myself feel it.
Everything.
The memories.
The almost.
The what-if.
Then I swallowed it down.
Again.
Because inside that room—
I might've been breaking.
But all they got to see…
was someone untouchable.
Keifer POV
I knew she'd come back.
Didn't know when.
Didn't know how.
But I knew My jay jay wasn't the type to disappear forever.
Still—
when the door opened and she walked in—
it hit harder than I expected.
She looked the same.
But she wasn't.
There was something colder in the way she moved, the way she didn't even look at anyone.
At me.
That part—
that part annoyed me more than it should have.
I watched her walk toward our row—
our seat—
and for a second, I thought she'd sit there.
Like before.
Like nothing changed.
She didn't.
She stopped.
Then walked past it.
Straight to the front.
Alone.
That shouldn't have bothered me.
But it did.
More than it should've.
I crossed my arms, leaning back like I didn't care.
Like I wasn't watching every little thing she did.
Like it didn't feel… wrong.
Then she started talking.
And yeah—
she was good.
Too good.
Every word landed.
Every line hit exactly where it was supposed to.
Confident.
Untouchable.
Like she didn't break at all.
Like I didn't—
No.
I wasn't going there.
So I clapped.
Because that's what I do.
Turn it into a joke.
Turn it into a game.
Keep it easy.
Safe.
"Wow. Dramatic. Very you."
She stood up.
Didn't even hesitate.
And when she finally looked at me—
that was new.
Not soft.
Not warm.
Sharp.
Distant.
Like I was just… another person in the room.
I pushed.
Of course I did.
Teased.
Provoked.
Flirted.
Because if she snapped—
if she showed anything—
it'd be easier.
But she didn't.
Or… not the way I expected.
She matched me.
Line for line.
Hit for hit.
And somehow—
that made it worse.
Because for a second—
just a second—
when I leaned in, when I said her name, when I watched her eyes—
I thought I saw it.
That same feeling.
Still there.
Buried.
Hidden.
But not gone.
And that—
that almost made me stop.
Almost.
Then she said it.
"I fall for people. You fake it."
…
That one—
that one stayed.
I didn't react.
Didn't say anything.
But it stayed.
And when she walked out—
didn't look back—
didn't even hesitate—
something about that felt…
final.
I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair.
"Yeah," I muttered under my breath.
Like I was convincing myself.
"Just part of the plan."
But it didn't sound right anymore.
Not after that.
Not after her.
Don't worry my queen....once everything's alright, I will make it up to you...for every mistake,every lie...and that plan...just a little longer...and I will make it up
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